Going On
by tivaforever13
Summary: This is AU. Ziva is in Israel. She's on the run. There's a new girl, who's also on the run but willing to risk everything for someone, so she can have some peace. Tony's not handling it well and we'll get to see him and the team as we go through all this. It is an alternate to season eleven.
1. Chapter 1

A/N - This story is AU, but with some real events thrown into it. It adds a character and tells us a story about Ziva leaving and Tony's struggles finding her and bringing her home, all through the eyes of this new character.

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**Zayit.**

That was all that the message said. That was all that I had received from her. It was the first word that I had heard from my older sister in nine years. My jaw hung open and I nearly dropped my phone. I gasped for air and I looked around.

I was in a bar. It was not the first time I had been in a bar by any means; actually I was rather experienced with bars. I was only twenty-one. _Soon to be twenty-two_, I reminded myself. But, I was very experienced with bars, because my life had demanded that I was. My life had not been easy, but I didn't like to talk about that or even think about that.

The code word "zayit" was ours. We had created it when we were children. It had a great meeting and I had nearly forgotten about it, even though we had hopelessly promised ourselves that we would always hang onto that word in case one or the other of us was in trouble in someway and we would need to find each other.

I was five when we created this code word, she was fourteen. We were close, for siblings that were so far apart in age. She had taken care of me for a long time. She had even tried to take care of me after leaving, even though it was impossible. She couldn't stop our father from having his way and controlling me the way he had controlled her. It was devastating, but I knew that it wasn't her fault.

I looked around the bar and left some money on the countertop and exited. I hailed a cab, using Arabic, as I was in Morocco. How was I supposed to get back? I had to find a way. I also had to reply to the word so she knew it was me and that I had gotten it. I would find a way.

I rode in the cab until we got to the harbor, paid the driver and found a small boat for hire. I did just that and used cash. Cash was untraceable and that seemed to be important at the moment. I had finally freed myself and why I was in Morocco, I didn't know. That was just where I ended up while wandering around the Middle East and Africa.

I rode silently in the boat until we finally reached the location I was looking for and I made my way in a junk car (bought with cash and no paperwork). _You've gotta love the Middle East, sometimes_, I thought as I drove through the night toward my final destination. As I drove I typed back the one word that needed to be sent.

**L'olam.**

That word was also chosen by us when we were that age. It meant forever. It also meant that I had only fifteen minutes to arrive at the designated spot where we would meet. We had picked our spot at a young age as well and it was one that we knew well, but wasn't well known to others.

I arrived just in time. I didn't see her, so I stood in a shadowed area where I could see someone coming from all sides. I had my side-arm drawn and a hand on my knife, hoping that it was her footsteps that I heard coming up the way.

We were in the olive orchard that our grandparents had kept as children. Most of the trees were still living, despite the fact that they hadn't been tended to over the years. I saw her before she saw me. I didn't move. I didn't want to alarm her. A fight wasn't something that we should want now. It was something that we should avoid at all costs.

When she finally saw me she looked around and ran over and hugged me.

"Ziva," I said, looking at her with my eyes wide.

There was a bruise on her cheek as though she had been in some kind of struggle. I frowned. But, I was sure I didn't look much better. Despite the fact that I told myself I didn't know how I ended up in Morocco, I was honestly running. I was running from something that had been following me for a while and I didn't know what it was or how it had found out about me, since I had been living off the grid for nearly four years.

I held Ziva tightly and she squeezed me. We both cried and rejoiced since we had not seen each other in nine long years.

"It's good to see you again," she said as she pulled back from the hug. "Let us get out of here so we can talk more privately."

I nodded and allowed her to lead the way to wherever she was staying now. She took in my appearance as we walked. I had looked in a mirror before leaving Morocco. I was fit, lean, muscular, but well-shaped, just like my sister. I was shorter than she was by quite a few inches, but just as dangerous (perhaps moreso since my height was constantly causing me to be under-estimated by opponents). I had huge bags under my eyes and I was sure I looked as exhausted as she did at least.

We found the abandoned barn that was nearly impossible to get into, since it was collapsed on itself.

"Ariela! You remembered!" she said. "You remembered our small code!"

She was smiling and there were tears in her eyes. "Of course I remembered, Ziva," I said quietly. "How could I forget? Was it not there for a reason?"

"Oh, it was. You were just so young and we have not used it in a long while," Ziva said quietly. "You have not grown much since last I saw you. Where were you?"

"I cannot tell you that, Zi," I said quietly, closing my eyes. "I have been forced to run, aside from my time off the grid. I am glad to know you got the number I left you. It is an old cellular phone that is not able to be followed. Disposable, perhaps the word is."

"Burn phone," Ziva said with a slight chuckle. "Now I know how he feels…."

Ziva told me all about her partner at NCIS, Tony DiNozzo and what he was like and how he corrected her incorrect American idioms all the time, and that he annoyed her so much and yet she still loved him.

"Who have you been running from Ariela?" Ziva asked.

"Please, call me Aria," I said quietly. "I do not like to be a lioness of God. I do not feel very Devine." She laughed and nodded before I continued. "I do not know who is on my tail, but I would assume it is someone that can link us together since you are also apparently in hiding."

"Yes, that seems right," Ziva said. "I need a favor, really."

"Anything, Zi," I said quietly.

"I need you to go to this address with this key and tell Tony something. Tell him this exactly "she says: Anthony Daniel DiNozzo, Sophie says she is fine and she misses Jon Paul very much. She wishes to see him again once the problems have been solved.

"Then, I need you to give him this note. You will also have to remain in DC. There are people there that you can trust. Gibbs, McGee, Abby, Ducky, Palmer, Vance, and Tony. You can trust them. They will take care of you if you need it for a while. Tell them that I said hello, just do not use my name if you can avoid it unless you are at NCIS headquarters alone with them and no one else around."

"What kind of trouble have you found, Zi?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," she said shaking her head. "But it's persistent."

"What does persistent mean?" I asked her.

"They keep going and refuse to stop. Constant," she said, defining the word for me. It had been a long time since I had used English.

"Here is some of Abba's cash. Hire a private plane to this small airport in Virginia. You should have enough money to take the bus to DC and find him. He is near this bus stop."

She had gone out of her way to get me a map. She was desperate to get this message out and I could see that. I took the paper from her and smiled lightly through the tears that were pooling in my eyes.

"When will I see you again, Zi? And do they know about me?"

"They will know about you when you show up," Ziva said with a shrug and a sigh. "And, I don't know. Happy early birthday to you, little sister."

"Happy early birthday to you too, big sister," I said back to her, pulling her into a hug again and taking off before anymore words could be exchanged and anymore emotions were provided to make my stay longer, otherwise I would see her tomorrow, the day before our birthday, and that wasn't the way I would say goodbye to my sister.

I hated flying, but the private plane was not so bad. I bought a junk car right outside of the small airport and I found a small motel to stay in for the night. I slept about three hours with everything reeling in my mind. I had to find a man that I did not know and convince him that I was trustworthy when he knew nothing about me. This was not going to end well, I didn't think. But, I trusted Ziva and knew that she wouldn't send me on something impossible.

I woke early the next morning, around four o'clock, went for a short run around the motel and got out of there, heading north for Washington, DC. It was a three hour drive, getting me there at noon that Tuesday. I found the apartment easily enough and let myself into it. I looked around. There was absolutely nothing for me to do. I found his bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror.

I looked better. The circles under my eyes were nearly gone and I looked healthier. Perhaps it was the States that did it to me, because three hours of sleep had never done that to me before. I sighed and washed my face. I waited in his living room, hoping that his workday would end soon. I knew I had to wait. It was the only thing to do.

I was waiting to send one word to her. One word that we had created only two days ago, so that she would know that I had arrived and delivered her message and taken refuge with the employees of NCIS. I sighed as the clock ticked onward. It was a little after five. It was hard to believe that it was already after five and I had been sitting here for over five hours.

Then the lock turned in the door and I drew out my gun. I pointed it straight at the door, holding it above my head level, aiming for whoever's head came through the door. I could not be taken off-guard, even though Ziva had told me that America was safer than Israel was. I waited for that door to open. The handle turned and my heart was pounding, but everything else about me was coiled and ready to spring if the wrong person stepped through that door.

The door creaked and pushed open.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N – Well here it is. Chapter two of my new story. Not sure how it's going so far. Send some reviews and tell me what you think.

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In front of me, stood an Italian-American man. He was tall, had dark hair, green eyes, and was very handsome. He was the man I was looking for. I had seen his picture hundreds of times since leaving Israel two days ago. I raised my gun up to the ceiling in surrender, seeing his weapon being pulled from his pocket.

As soon as my gun was raised he was nearly on top of me, backing me into a wall, his gun pointed at my forehead. I cooperated fully. I expected nothing less from a United States Federal Agent who was in danger. He stared into my eyes for a moment, looking triumphant. He didn't speak and neither did I. We just stared.

Then, something in his head seemed to have clicked, as I saw near-understanding wash over his face and he lowered his weapon. I knew what it was that caught his attention. It was the pendant I wore around my neck. It was the Star of David that hung there in plain sight, the one thing of my country that I refused to ever let go of.

"Who are you?"

"Ariela," I said simply. "You can call me Aria or Ariel."

"Like the Disney character?" he asked, his eyes narrowing a little.

"What in the world is a Disney character?" I asked him, confused.

"The Little Mermaid, it's one of the classic Disney movies!" he nearly shouted, as though I was an idiot.

"I guess I am not up to date on my American movies, no?" I asked, him, replacing my side-arm to where it belonged.

"Why are you here? How did you get in here? What do you want?" the man asked.

"I am here because I was sent here by someone who needed someone she could trust no matter what to come," I said quietly. "She sent me here to deliver a message to you and hopefully get me out of harms' way. So, I want to do just that, though I would also like to help her step out of the way of harm as well."

"Who?"

"My sister," I said.

"Your sister knows where I live?"

"She does," I said with a smile. "She gave me the address, the phone number, your phone number, the numbers of all her former team members, and she gave me her spare key to this place."

"How did your sister come across it?" Tony asked, his eyes narrowing.

"She says: Anthony Daniel DiNozzo, Sophie says she is fine and she misses Jon Paul very much. She wishes to see him again once the problems have been solved," I told him.

He gasped and stepped back from me, nearly dropping the gun in his hands. I took a step forward.

"Your sister is…."

"Do not say it!" I nearly shouted. "She does not want her name spoken outside of your place of employment. It is not safe. It is not safe for her, or you, or me, or her family."

"What family?"

"The ones she works with," I said. "You know, she has got you spot-center…."

"Dead-centered, or spot-on, not any other combination," Tony corrected automatically, looking at me curiously. "You're her sister? She never told us she had another sister."

"Too painful," I said, shaking my head. "We will get back to her lack of talking about anything in a few minutes. Right now, she wished me to deliver this letter to you."

I handed him the envelope that I had not touched. He took it, his hands shaking, his eyes searching mine as though he could find something there. His eyes softened and he smiled.

"You're like her, aren't you?" he asked. "Reserved, guarded, holding things back?"

"In some ways, yes, I am like her. But, my past makes hers look like a piece of heaven," I said shyly and turned away from him. "I have not read it. I do not know what it says. I can tell you what her eyes told me though. She is counting on you. She really trusts you. It is the only reason I agreed to come at all."

He was silent and I heard the tear of the envelope. There was a minute and he put a hand on my shoulder and turned me around.

"We need to see Gibbs," he said softly.

"The famous boss?" I asked.

He nodded and took my wrist, leading me from his apartment. He practically shoved me into his car and drove away before I could protest. I didn't even try to fight. If Ziva trusted him there was a very good reason. He drove for a while until we ended up on a dark street in front of a house that I knew nothing about. America was so different from Israel that my head was spinning.

He led me into the unlocked house and down the stairs, without announcing his presence or knocking or even calling his boss.

"Coming down, DiNozzo?" a man's voice called from the basement.

"Come on," Tony said to me and led the way down the stairs.

I walked carefully, not bothering to look up to see what there was to see. I knew only too well that that was where Ziva shot my brother. I stopped on the spot she had described and looked directly down, tears filling my eyes. I knew she had done it for a reason. I knew that he had to die. I also knew that he had been leading me down the wrong path, but that took me some time to realize. It had been a while before I had forgiven Ziva and it was because of monstrous acts that I realized it.

I looked up, meeting the eyes of Gibbs. They were blue and sparkling. They were filled with curiosity as tears flooded over the edge and poured onto my cheeks. I knew that Tony was staring at me too. He didn't know that Ziva had shot her own brother. I shot him a glance. He really didn't know. I could see it on his face. There were too many secrets kept in that family. It was going to hurt them. I shook my head and turned around, starting back toward the stairs.

"It was a mistake coming here," I said quietly. "It was a mistake. I am sorry. I cannot. I cannot risk the truth. Not now. Not when her life is in danger. Not when mine is in danger. Not while all of yours is in danger. I was happier hiding in the desert and running."

An hand grabbed me and I knew it wasn't Tony's. It was Gibbs. I knew that he would do this somehow, even though Ziva had only told me a little about Gibbs.

"Tony. Upstairs. This will require some private conversation," Gibbs said.

Tony went past me up the stairs, throwing one glance back at me. Gibbs pulled me back to that spot. I looked at him.

"I know it was for the right reasons," I told him, as though reading his mind. "I know she saved you."

"Then you know the worst she's ever had to deal with," Gibbs said.

"That' is not the worst," I whispered. "You do not know the worst. She does not know the worst. She has not… has not had to deal with it, yet. I am in danger being so exposed here."

"I know," Gibbs said. "I can see it in your eyes. Why did she send you?"

"Message for Tony," I said.

"She love him?"

"With everything she has," I said quietly, tears forming in my eyes again. "She is in trouble. I have to help her. I had to do this for her. Even though I was warned not to come out of hiding."

"Who warned you?"

"A friend," I said quietly. "The only friend I have ever had through all this."

"Who?"

"Someone who hurt her," I said quietly and shook my head back and forth, knowing that I couldn't go on.

"What's your name?"

"Ariela Aliyah David."

"The ascending lioness of god," Gibbs chuckled. "Powerful name."

"Not my choice," I said quietly. "Eli…."

"Your father?"

"Of course," I said quietly, not wanting to talk about him.

"Did you go to his funeral?"

"No," I said quietly.

"Why not?"

"Could not," I said quietly. "I was in too much danger and I did not want to. I could not forgive him."

"I don't say as I blame you if he treated you anything like he treated Ziva," Gibbs said.

"Worse. She does not know," I said quietly. "We were only talking for about an hour before I left for here."

"Bourbon?" he asked.

"Please," I said quietly.

I pulled out my phone as we sat in silence. A minute went by in which Tony came back down the stairs and poured himself a bourbon. He didn't know. Just like they didn't know what I had gone through in my life. He didn't know what she had done in Gibbs house that day. I typed a message.

**Yeshua.**

I typed and sent it. It was all I could send and I knew that I would not get a reply. It was all she needed to hear, but I knew I was truly safe with these people that she trusted so much. I didn't need to take time to get to know this man in front of me. He had broken through some of the barriers that I had built up over the years just by understanding what I needed when I needed it.

We drank in silence and then I looked up at them.

"What happens now? I cannot go back. They will know I left already and they will be trying to find out where I am. I am putting you all in danger by being here," I said quietly.

"They're after us too," Tony said. "It's a new terrorist group. They're after all of us. Why are they after you?"

"Because I am her sister," I said quietly. "And, I am his daughter. They think that Eli probably told me a few things that they want to know. And, they are right. He did. He told me everything, but not in a nice way. It was why I ran in the first place a couple of years ago. I knew that I knew too much and I knew that he was sick…."

"He was sick?" Gibbs asked and I nodded, without saying anything further on it.

"I knew he did not have long. I suppose his death was a benefit to him, since it was quick this way instead of the slow painful torture he would have gone through. But, he would have deserved it. He did not deserve an easy escape," I said quietly. "Never did."

"You got a lot against him," Gibbs stated. "What did that man do to you?"

"It does not matter," I said shaking my head. "We just need to find a way to make her safe. I think I have an idea, but it will have to wait a week or so until they have already followed my trail to where I landed yesterday."

"Which was where?"

"Not going to talk about it where they might be able to hear me. If we discuss this at all it will have to be at your place of work," I said quietly.

They both nodded. "You got her DiNozzo? Or would you like me to watch over her?"

"I've got her," Tony said. "She asked me to protect her as though her life depended on Aria's safety."

"Your apartment was already shot at once," I said quietly. "We should not stay there."

"Then, you will both stay here. I will call McGee and have him get your bag, Tony. I will also call Abby and have her buy you some clothes that won't stand out so much here, since you're no longer in the desert, kid," Gibbs said and dialed the phone.

"McGee, go to Tony's grab his go-bag, get here, move fast. We're meeting at six tomorrow morning also, so cancel your plans with the girlfriend."

He hung up the phone after McGee replied and then dialed another number and waited for the answer.

"Abby, you have a job tomorrow," Gibbs said. "You're going shopping." Gibbs laughed at whatever reply Abby gave. "She's a girl. About four foot ten. Israeli, looks like she was Mossad. You know, cargo pants and a tank top style. She needs something to blend in a little better. Twenty one, slender, but muscular. For now, I'd like some of your clothes here as fast as you can get them here, she seems like she would fit in some of your smaller clothes, since I know you wear them."

They hung up and then Gibbs showed us to the living room. We waited in silence until we heard two cars pull in and three doors open and close. I wondered what was going to happen. He had only called two people. I was playing with the knife at my side and not even realizing it. My hand stopped when I felt Gibbs' hand on my shoulder.

"It's just them. Relax," he said quietly as the door opened.


	3. Chapter 3

The door to Gibbs' house opened and a man and a woman walked through the door. The man had sandy-blonde hair and was slender and nerdy-looking. He was definitely McGee, as Ziva had described him. The woman was small, almost as short as me. She had dark hair that was pulled into pigtails. She wore a dog-collar and dark clothing. She was beaming around at all of us. This had to be Abby, the happy-goth that Ziva had described.

Their eyes met mine and then wandered to Tony and Gibbs. They were curious about who I was. Abby was the first to comment.

"Who are you? You look so much like…."

"Don't say it, Abs," Tony said quietly, warning her that it wasn't safe.

"My name is Ariela David. Please, call me Aria or Ariel," I said quietly. "And I look like her because I am her younger sister."

There was silence to follow this. McGee was searching me for some form of lie in my eyes and Abby was gaping at me as though I couldn't possibly be Ziva's sister. It was impossible.

"She had another sister?" McGee asked.

"Yes," I said simply, without any other explanation.

"Why didn't she tell us?" Abby asked, looking curious and feeling shocked.

"It is a long story," I said to her. "There is a lot of pain involved in that story."

They both nodded, realizing that I was at least somewhat like Ziva in the sense that I didn't want to talk about things. But, I knew that if she could trust them, then so could I. I knew that I would be safe with these people guarding me, just as Ziva said I would be. I also knew that legally I wasn't allowed to help them, though I would anyway, despite the fact that I was no longer Mossad.

"You're right, Gibbs. She looks like former Mossad," Abby said.

"I was in Mossad, yes. I ran from Mossad. They are not happy about my disappearance. But, they are not a concern anymore, since the death of Eli," I said quietly. "Orli never did take to me. She was jealous."

"Why was she jealous?" Tony asked in awe.

"That is another long and painful story, Tony. I will not get into that now," I stated simply.

"You're going to have to talk to one of us, kid," Gibbs said to me. "At some point."

"I will begin to talk tonight, Gibbs," I said quietly. "I just do not want to share with everyone that walks into my life today. I do not like to talk about it at all."

"Guess I don't blame you," Tony said. "Since you said…. You said your past was difficult."

I nodded, thanking him for not repeating my exact words. Gibbs was looking at Abby and McGee who were having a silent staring contest with each other. I could see some tension between these two that didn't look good at all. I wondered about it, but thought to investigate later. I was good at investigating, though I hadn't ever been given the chance to use these skills. My father had always wanted me to be a killer, like Ziva, but better at it. He had trained me harder than he had trained her. My brother had also trained me harder. I had training from two sides, where she had only had training from one side.

I sighed at the memories. Ziva was the only one on my side and I knew it. Ziva was the one that had tried hard to protect me from the life that I had. She had tried to keep me away from Mossad and my father and brother, who were determined to turn me into something I didn't want to be. However, they succeeded when Ziva was sent to America. I sighed again.

"Thank you for the clothes, Abigail," I said quietly.

She looked at me curiously. "How do you know my name?"

"She told me about all of you," I said quietly. "Though not nearly enough. We were only talking for an hour. I can see that there is a lot of details she skipped in our hurried conversation."

Abby nodded to me and walked out before the tension between her and McGee got worse. McGee also left with a sigh and without another word. I was left with Gibbs and Tony.

"I'm going up to bed. Aria, talk to Tony. You can trust him," Gibbs said quietly. "Then, get some sleep, both of you. We're leaving for NCIS first thing in the morning."

Gibbs went upstairs.

"So, why didn't she tell us she had a little sister?" Tony asked.

Why did he have to be most curious about that? I sighed and chose to answer him. Ziva told me I could trust him and I should tell him everything, even if it was something she had kept private for a long time. She had told me to open up to him as though he were a trusted brother, since she viewed him as hers and knew he felt the same way about her.

"It is a long story and it is painful, but I will tell you," I said quietly. "My sister and I were very close from the moment I was born. She took care of me. She protected me from Mossad, Eli, and Ari. She knew basically what they wanted out of me. Eli wanted me to become a killer, as he wanted my sister to become a killer. Eli wanted me to be a better killer than she was. Ari wanted me to become a killer, but what I did not realize at the time was that he wanted me to become a killer so that I could kill Eli, who he believed was a traitor.

"I was angry with Eli was he sent my sister after Ari the first time. But, I knew how she felt about Ari. I did not try to convince Eli that she would not kill her brother. I knew that she would not do it without proof that he was doing something wrong. Neither of us believed that he was doing anything wrong. My sister was sent to America to kill him, though she went with the intent to protect him. She told me about her time here when she returned home briefly for Ari's funeral.

"You may not want to hear this, just as a warning to you," I stated simply, but he nodded for me to go on. "She was convinced during her time here that something was not right about Ari. She could see what the evidence was pointing to, but she did not want to believe it. Gibbs asked her a favor. He asked her to come to his house with him and set a trap for her brother. Gibbs wanted my sister to have his back. She agreed because there was a condition that if he did not show then he was innocent. It was Gibbs proving to her that Ari was not who we all thought he was.

"Ari showed, of course. My sister was upstairs, above the basement waiting, right here," I said as I got up and showed him the very spot that Ziva crouched down in. "She looked down into the basement and saw that Ari was holding Gibbs rifle. Gibbs did not put up a fight, because something in him told him that he could trust her. When Ari aimed the gun at Gibbs with the intent to kill him, my sister fired her gun, protecting Gibbs and killing her own brother, my brother.

"When she told me this I was very angry with her. I felt betrayed by her. I thought she was the traitor and not my brother. We left things on angry conditions…."

"Terms," Tony corrected, his face contorted in pain. "You left things on bad terms, not angry terms."

"Yes, that is it," I said quietly. "We were angry when she spoke to me about this. She requested an assignment as the Mossad Liaison Officer to NCIS, because we were not getting along as we used to. She told me that I would see it one day.

"I did come to see it. I came to see it in a painful way and I have since forgiven my sister for what she did to my brother. I knew why she did it when Hamas did what they did to me. I understood why she needed to kill Ari. I forgave her. Though my sister and I did not speak for so long, she knew that I forgave her. She trusted that I would come to terms with it. She also investigated me on the side while she worked with you. She knew what was happening to me, so she knew when I forgave her.

"She did not speak of me, because she was ashamed of the way we left things and we were both in too much pain to talk about the other. She knew what my father was doing to me and she felt guilty. She was blaming herself for what was happening to me. She has forgiven herself, mostly, but not completely for what Eli did to me and for what Hamas did to me. But, she needs to forgive herself the rest of the way. For that she will need your help."

Tony sat silently staring at me for a while. His face was still holding an expression of pain as he looked at me. He thought about everything that I had told him about Ziva and myself in that moment. He knew that I was not willingly open about it. He had a lot of questions. I could see all this in his eyes. I understood what Ziva meant about being able to read his eyes if you could read people easily.

"She shot Ari? Not Gibbs?" Tony asked and I nodded. "Why didn't she tell me?"

"For your safety. For her own safety. For Gibbs' safety. For my safety," I said quietly. "She is always trying to protect those around her that she cares about."

"But, she could have told me anytime," Tony argued, getting angry.

"She did not think you would trust her if she told you, Tony," I said quietly. "She knows you very well, but she was very ashamed of having to kill her brother."

"She did it defending Gibbs," he argued. "That's a good reason. That would've only made me trust her more."

"Not at first," I said quietly. "She thought that you would think she was a monster. Those were her words to me. She talks of you a lot."

He nodded quietly and sighed.

"Why did you tell me this?"

"If she trusts you then so do I," I said quietly. "She and I have a very close bond, Tony. We are close, still, even if we did have many years of not talking to each other. We are very close. She trusts you and asked me to tell you everything you wanted to know. But, Tony, that is enough for tonight. We should not discuss anymore. You need to process what you have heard before I tell you more of myself and my life; before I tell you more about my sister and her life and all that she has gone through and all that she does not know about."

He nodded quietly. "I'll take the couch."

"No, Tony," I said quietly. "Your back will hurt if you take the couch. Mine will not. I am used to sleeping on no bed, but you are not. You take the spare bedroom upstairs. I will sleep on the couch."

He nodded and went upstairs toward the spare bedroom in Gibbs' house. I watched him go as the tears spilled from my eyes. He heard my sob and turned around, seeing the tears spilling from my eyes. I had done a good job of holding them in and he was quietly shocked to see tears.

He walked back down the stairs and sat next to me on the couch. He took me into a hug, wrapping his strong arms around me and holding me tight.

"I see how you're different," he whispered quietly holding me.

He was right. Ziva did not show emotions. I did. We were different in that matter. I had always told her that it was alright to show emotions, but she hadn't ever believed me. I allowed Tony to comfort me, which was something else that was different about me. I took the comfort when I could get it, as long as it came from someone I knew I could trust. I knew I could trust him, because Ziva trusted him and told me everything she knew about him and his life in DC.

After a short while I was comforted. "Thank you," I said quietly as he stood up. "Goodnight, Tony."

"Goodnight, Aria," he said quietly as he turned toward the stairs and went up and disappeared from my sights.


	4. Chapter 4

"Aria…. Aria," I heard. It was Gibbs. I groaned. I did not want to wake up. I only wanted to remain sleeping, since I was so comfortable, finally able to sleep on something that was not uncomfortable. Gibbs' couch was very comfortable.

My eyes fluttered open and met Gibbs' face.

"Time to get up, Sleeping Beauty," he said quietly.

"Who is Sleeping Beauty?"

"I'll have DiNozzo get some Disney movies for you," Gibbs said chuckling.

"He mentioned something about a Disney yesterday. What is it?"

"Walt Disney was a person. He wrote children's films, based off of children's fairy tales," Gibbs explained. "Disney films are classics that children still watch today. DiNozzo will be disappointed in your movie education."

"I have not exactly had the ideal childhood," I said quietly with a shrug, finally sitting up. "How much time do I have to get ready?"

"Half hour. Breakfast will be ready in five minutes, so get a move on, kid," Gibbs said, helping me off his couch.

I was a little stiff as I made my way toward his bathroom that was downstairs. I heard Tony coming down as I came out. Our eyes met and he looked at me curiously.

"You okay this morning?" he asked.

"I am fine," I said quietly, though I did not entirely feel fine. I felt more like I had been hit by a bus, and then told something very sad. I had shared some painful memories with the man last night and there were more to come. I think he knew that too.

"Now you sound like her again," he said with a chuckle. "We'll have to work on that. I don't think I can handle two of you."

"You will find, Tony, that I am not so much like her as you are thinking," I said quietly. "At first glance, yes, I am very much like my sister. However, there are things about me that are so different from her that you may wonder if we are actually siblings or not. For example, I never ever trusted my father. That was something about me that she never understood. But, we do not have time for more stories of me now. We need to eat and get to your work."

"She's right, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, calling us over to the table for some breakfast. "And before we come home tonight, I'll have to do some grocery shopping. I'm almost out of food. I wasn't expecting company."

"I will not be joining you at the grocery store. My life is in danger every moment that I am so exposed as I am now," I said quietly.

"I know," Gibbs said. "I can see it in your eyes."

I nodded to him. Gibbs was very good at reading people and he knew everything, just as Ziva had told me he would. We ate in silence and then made our way toward the cars. I went with Tony and Gibbs drove his own car. When we arrived the Director of NCIS was looking down towards us with suspicion in his eyes. Gibbs took me by the wrist and guided me up to his office.

"I have to say, Gibbs, the walls in this place are as awful as she said they were," I told him as we climbed the stairs.

He chuckled, but didn't say anything. The Director followed us into his large and comfortable office. I sat down in a chair across his desk from him. Gibbs stood behind me as the Director sat down. I looked around quickly and then looked at the Director who was staring at Gibbs.

"Tell him who you are," Gibbs said patting me on the shoulder.

"I am Ariela Aliyah David," I said quietly. "I am Ziva David's little sister. She sent me here with a message for Tony. I know that all of you are in danger from a new terrorist organization and so is Ziva. I am also in danger from them, because I know too much. I am the daughter of Eli David and the person that he told everything to, for some strange reason that I still cannot fathom and will never get an answer to. I am fairly certain that they think that Ziva knows too much also, which is why they are after her and all of you. I am here to help in anyway I can."

"Thank you, Ariela," the Director said.

"Please, call me Aria or Ariel," I said quietly.

"Like the Disney character?" he asked. I sighed. "I'll just call you Aria. Isn't that the same name, basically, that your brother had?"

"There is a major difference in my name, though," I said, nodding to agree with the Director. "Eli David chose my name and Ari's mother chose his name. Ari's mother saw him as a strength in her life, whereas Eli saw me as a warrior from the moment I was born. I was supposed to be better than Ziva, you know. I was told that often."

"Like a Ziva 2.0," Gibbs said.

"A what?"

"A newer and better version of the same," Gibbs explained. "You've really got a problem with the American idioms."

"I have not been in America before now, so I should hope that I have a problem with the idioms and minor nuances in the language from what I may think I know," I said quietly.

"I'm Director Vance and first thing is first, were you Mossad? Are you still Mossad? What is your association with Mossad and Israel and what have you been doing for the past nine years while Ziva's been working here? Also, how old are you and where were you born?"

"I am twenty-one. I was born in Haifa, Israel while my mother was on vacation there, just before her and my father split up," I answered quietly. "I was only a child when Ziva left for America and I was a fairly sheltered child by Israeli standards up until then, because Ziva did everything she could to protect me. I was Mossad, but I ran from Mossad about two years ago, when my father told me too much information and got the diagnosis.

"Mossad was a problem for a while, but has not been a problem since the death of Eli. Orli does not like me. She is jealous of my existence, rather than of me, myself," I explained quietly. "I do not see her as a threat and therefore do not see Mossad as a threat. I have one friend on the inside of Mossad and know that he is willing to help me whenever he can and he is the one who told me that Mossad is no longer actively caring about my whereabouts and my doings."

"What qualifies you to help with anything here?" Vance asked.

"I was a Mossad Intelligence Officer, as well as an Assassin for the organization. My jobs included investigation of Top Secret levels and high-end assassinations," I said quietly. "I never assassinated one that didn't deserve to die and I did my own research on them before taking them out. My list of killings is not even half as long as Ziva's."

"And, twenty-one, you said?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered.

"Are you an Israeli citizen?"

"I guess so," I said quietly. "I was born and raised in Israel. Though I wish to cut my ties with the country if I can. I want to become American like my sister."

"Then, this is what I'll do for you," Vance said. "I will give you Probationary Agent status, so you can legally help us with the cases and it will be pending upon your citizenship requirement. I wish for you to get started on that right away, first thing. Is Ziva safe?"

"For now," I said quietly. "She has disappeared and we will not be in contact, if that is what you are asking."

"You won't have a way to contact each other?" he asked.

"No," I said quietly. "Not until she is safe completely. She is afraid of this new terrorist organization, as am I. My hiding had led me all the way into the SaharaDesert of Africa. I do not know if she will remain hidden where she was when I left or if she will roam. Probably the latter of the two options. There is only one way I can speak freely with her and that is if we meet in our spot, when we share a certain word with each other. This is something I cannot reveal to you, though. It is a secret for a good reason and I am glad that we kept it a secret this long."

"Are you in danger here?"

"Yes," I answered simply.

"Gibbs?"

"DiNozzo and I will be keeping the girl safe, Director," Gibbs said. "Aria, are you sure you want to put that badge on?"

She nodded. She thought about Ziva and what she had said to her and dropping the badge. She was giving up something she was good at. She was giving it up because she let her dreams go and had things that she wanted to do and she was going to try to do them while she was in hiding from this organization. I shook my head. Ziva was a little crazy and would manage to get them done, because she loved Tony and couldn't stand the thought of spending too much time away from him.

"Welcome aboard then," Vance said. "I hope you're an asset to Gibbs' team."

"I hope so, too," I said. "I guess I will have to learn the American laws, since Israeli laws are different, with Israel being in the heart of the Middle East."

"Yes, you'll have to do that. Gibbs, Tony, McGee, Abby, and Ducky will help you with that," Vance said and nodded toward me.

"Come on, Aria," Gibbs said quietly. "Oh, and Vance. I might call in the LA team. You know, to help with this, in case it gets worse. I haven't decided yet."

"I think that's probably a good idea," Vance said. "Why don't you call them. I'm sure Hetti will be glad to help us out. We've helped her plenty of times."

Gibbs nodded and I looked suspiciously at them. I did not know anything about this LA team, but I knew that I would soon have to find out. Gibbs led me back down into the squad room as Vance began filling out some paperwork. I assumed it was my application and other things that would need to be signed if I was going to really join the team at NCIS. I sighed and shook my head. This was a lot of change. I had been hiding in a desert one day, called to Israel the next, on a plane to Virginia, then sitting in DC about to become a Probationary Federal Agent. It was a busy few days and it would take some major adjusting, but hopefully I was cut-out for this job, because I didn't know what Ziva would decide to do in the end or not.

"Tony, fill her in on what we've got so far," Gibbs said as he grabbed his wallet from his desk drawer. "Anyone want coffee?"

"I would like some tea," Ducky said.

"Me also," I said quietly.

"I'll take coffee," Tony said with a nod.

"Me too," McGee said sleepily.

"And a Caf-Pow for me?" Abby asked.

"Good. Two teas, three coffees, and one Caf-Pow. That covers everyone," Gibbs said with a slight nod.

"Okay, so filling you in," Tony said, refocusing. "I need to fill you in on the last year, because you're behind. There was a shoot-out at Director Vance's house. Someone hit it with an automatic weapon. Jackie Vance and Eli David were killed. A couple nights later Arash Kazmi was killed in an explosion on his way to the airport to go home. Ziva and I went to Berlin looking for Ilan Bodnar and found his brother Yaniv, who is in prison in Israel. Ilan was killed by Ziva, accidentally, of course. Parsons was investigating the team and arrested Gibbs, who was sent on a mission to Iran. We resigned to save our names.

"However, the mission was bogus and Parsons is now on our side and we have our badges back. A hotel was blown up, killing Secretary of Navy Clayton Jarvis and many others, but not Parsons. Parsons saved Gibbs in Iran and brought him home for us. My apartment was shot-up and FBI Special Agent Tobias Fornell has joined us and saved McGee from whatever was going on. Tom Morrow from Homeland Security is injured and is keeping his leg. Abby, Ducky, and Palmer were kind enough to help out in our absence. I was messaging with Ziva and planning on going to Israel with her, but that was cancelled when I got my badge back.

"McGee is dating this new girl and Abby hates her. She works for the DoD… that's the Department of Defense. There was a rat in autopsy trying to get information on Clayton Jarvis's injuries. We are looking for Benum Parsa. Vance threatened Tom Morrow because he thought he was behind the problems with NCIS and the team. Abby freaked out on Parsons, as we all did. I sent Adam Eschel to find Ziva, where he didn't manage to. We solved the murder of McBride. I hate Adam Eschel, by the way. Ziva sent me an image that I can't decipher… maybe you can help me with that. Somehow Tomas Mendez from the Board of the Anti-Terrorism Coalition is involved in all of this, but we're not sure how. Oh, and don't forget that Captain Wayne was only involved because of some infidelity photographs. I think I've gotten everything."

"Did you have to throw in the part about my relationship?" McGee asked.

"Yes. If Abby doesn't like Delilah, then neither do I," Tony said quietly, with a dirty look on his face.

"How did you get Adam involved in all this?" I asked.

"You know him?"

"Of course I know him. When I was in Mossad, he was my partner for intelligence missions," I said. "He is my friend. But, there are things about Adam that I do not like… and we will get there later, right now it is beside the point. I have some blanks to fill in where Ziva is concerned.

"After you talked to Adam, Ziva contacted me and I flew from Africa, and undisclosed location for now, and found her at our meeting spot, which is also an undisclosed location for now. We talked for about an hour and then I flew out to another undisclosed location in the United States with American money that she gave me for this visit to NCIS. She sent me here to keep you safe and begging for help in keeping her safe…."

"You left out that part last night," Tony said. "When did you say she was begging for help?"

"Was that not obvious?" I asked. "Ziva does not turn to others for help, ever. She certainly never willingly puts her younger sister in harms' way to get that help, especially when she has not shared with her team that she has a younger sister who she loves deeply and would never wish harm to. Therefore, you can bet that this is begging in her own way. Everything is always in Ziva's own way. Anyway, here I am to help you and we need to get to work on everything now that I am here. I want to help, because I do not wish to be in danger any longer than I already am. Director Vance?"

"I see that you're still considered to be a part of Mossad," he said. "They never formerly discharged you from their services."

I swore, in Hebrew, my native language. Tony was looking at me with a smile on his face, surely remembering a moment when Ziva had gotten angry and swore in Hebrew.

"That means?"

"That this just got sticky," Vance said. "As soon as we've gathered a little more information you and DiNozzo are going to Israel. While you're there you're going to end your ties with Mossad once and for all."

"That could get me killed," I said quietly. "But, sure. I'll do it."

Vance nodded and looked at DiNozzo. "You promise to keep her safe?" he asked.

"Well, no. I was told to keep her safe, through a message that came through her in Ziva's handwriting."

"Then that's your job when you go to Israel, DiNozzo. Keep her safe. I can already see that she's going to be more of an asset to this team than I originally thought."

"Please tell me you did not read everything?"

"Still working on it. Was there something you wanted me to skip over? Something illegal perhaps?" Vance asked, with his eyebrows raised.

"Oh, you can read all the mission reports. But there are just some things from my past that I would rather not share with people that I don't know that well," I said quietly.

"Well, if I'm going to be your boss, Probationary Agent David, then I'm going to know your file," he said quietly with a smile. "If that means there are things that I shouldn't know then perhaps I should take away the status you were just given."

"It's not that you shouldn't know them. I am just more comfortable with you not knowing them," I said quietly. "They are personal things, nothing to do with work-history or legality. They are more of family issues and personal issues. But, go on, read the file. I suppose if you have questions you will ask about them?"

"You got that right."

"Ha! I've got a new Probie to break-in!" Tony said with a smile on his face.

"I'd be nice to her if I were you, Tony," McGee said. "She's former Mossad."

"I'll be nice because Ziva told me to be nice, McGoo," Tony said quietly. "Let's get our information and get our butts off to Israel."

"I do not see why you are so excited about this, Tony. This is not going to be a fun trip to Israel at all," I said quietly. "I would much rather stay in the United States. I am much safer here. Now I am putting you in danger. I wonder if Ziva knew this was going to happen."

"Probably not," Tony said admittedly. "But, it's happening. You might want to make our mission easier and send her a message when we get there to tell her to meet at your secret spot."

"I will worry about that when we get there," I said quietly.


	5. Chapter 5

We boarded a flight two hours later with bags in-hand. I was bouncing as we waited in line. Tony put a hand on my shoulder and I calmed down a little. This was going to be a long flight and I had to put up with this man that I had met only a short-time ago for thirteen hours in a plane from Washington, DC to Tel Aviv, Israel on a commercial flight. Luckily this flight was booked through NCIS, but it used my real name. As we were in the waiting area, my phone rang.

I winced as I read the number.

"How much time to we have before we board?"

"About ten minutes," Tony said.

"I'll be back before then," I said.

"Shalom," I said into the phone.

"It is good to hear your voice again, Officer David," said a familiar female voice in English. "Do you care to tell me how you managed to get to Washington, DC and on a commercial flight to Tel Aviv?"

"No," I said stiffly.

"Someone you know will meet you at the airport when you arrive," she said.

"Thank you, Orli. It's always a pleasure. Now, I must go and you will be nice to my new partner, I assume?"

"New partner?" Orli asked.

"Yes. I'm coming to break ties with Mossad so I can work with NCIS," I explained.

"Paperwork," Orli scoffed. "I hate paperwork. Have a safe flight."

I sighed and hung up the phone, returning to Tony.

"Well, this might be faster than we thought it would be," I said and was interrupted by the calling of people to board. We boarded and then I continued my thought once we were seated in our business-class seats. "Orli called me."

"The new Director of Mossad?" Tony asked.

"Someone will be meeting us at the airport to take us down to Mossad. I need to fill out paperwork there to be properly discharged from Mossad. Since I have been considered missing for the last two and a half years it is appropriate for filling out paperwork. They will think that my training is out of ordinary."

"Out of practice, out of sync, out dated, but not out of the ordinary as far as Mossad is concerned," Tony corrected.

"So many strange sayings you American's have," I mentioned.

"Sometimes you could be a replica of Ziva," Tony told me. "Other times I wonder if you are her sister at all."

"I feel like I have heard those comments before," I said, rolling my eyes at him as the plane began to move, finally.

The flight was long, but it was not boring. Tony told me about movies and things as they were playing a Disney movie on the screen in front of us. It turned out to be the Little Mermaid that he had mentioned earlier, which was good because now I understood his reference to Ariel and suddenly I didn't want to be Ariel at all, Aria was seeming to fit perfectly.

Halfway through the flight Tony looked at me. "Tell me about your father's illness," he requested.

"He had colon cancer. It was not bad when I left. I can only assume that he was trying to make amends with Ziva because he was nearing his time to end," I said quietly, tears beginning to fill my eyes, knowing that I had missed my opportunity to say goodbye to my father. "He tried to contact me and I refused him."

I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and looked at Tony, who was shocked to see that I did something so much like Ziva for once with my emotions. I rolled my eyes at him.

"What was the deal with the tears in Gibbs' basement?" Tony asked.

"That is the spot where my brother Ari was killed," I said quietly. "Do you know what happened down there?"

"Gibbs shot him," Tony said tensely and noted that I was shaking my head. "So you know the truth too?"

"Of course I know the truth. Ziva has never lied to me, but how do you know?" I asked, shocked that he could possibly know that Ziva shot Ari.

"Because I overheard her and Gibbs talking about it one day in the squad room when she was still new at NCIS. She wasn't much older than you are now," Tony told me. "She still hurting from it?"

"Yes," I said quietly. "She blames herself for hurting those that Ari left behind. Ari was not who he pretended to be, though I couldn't see it at the time and for a long time I was angry with Ziva and she knew it. But, I forgave her when Hamas showed their true colors. I had always looked up to Ari and I became hurt and alone by the time she came home the next time, when she was reassigned after Jenny's death."

"You knew Jenny?"

"Jenny, Ziva, and I worked together. Yes, I was young. Do not blame me for doing things that I wasn't supposed to do; that was my father's doing. He did it to all of us except for Tali. I loved Tali, so don't get me wrong when I say this, but she was definitely his favorite. He would have done anything to have Tali back alive and I know that because of some of the things he told me after her death."

"Which were…?"

"Along the lines of wishing I had been the one to die and not her," I said quietly. "She saved my life, you know? She pushed me out of the way of the car, recognizing what it was, but she didn't have time to get herself out of the way as well. She died in that explosion after saving my life. She was trying to save another that day and she managed. He and I will forever be in debt to her."

"You know who she saved?"

I nodded and looked out the window of the plane. I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't like to talk about it and Ziva didn't know who else she had saved, because I had never spoken of it.

"Do I know who else she saved?"

I nodded, without looking at Tony. "Ziva doesn't know," I said quietly. "I never talked to her about that day. Abba asked me not to."

I could feel Tony shift uncomfortably in his seat. "Who?" he dared to ask.

I turned to face him and looked him straight in the eyes. "Adam Eschel," I said quietly. "It is why he and I are such good friends still. He was the only one I could turn to after that day about the death of my sister, because he had some guilt too from that day."

"Survivor's guilt," Tony said quietly. "That would bring two people with huge age differences together."

"Please, Tony. I know you do not like him, but he has been like a brother to me. Please be kind to him while we are at Mossad."

"I will," Tony said quietly and looked away from me, not liking the amount of trust I put in this man and I knew why, though he didn't know everything and neither did Adam or Ziva. It was not their fault and I had to relay that to him at some point.

"Tony… if I tell you something, will you let me tell Ziva about it when we find her again?" I asked him curiously.

"What's it about?"

"Adam," I said quietly. "He told me about that night."

"What night?"

"At my father's funeral. I was not there, but I know this to be true, because of some other events."

"What is it?"

"It was not Adam that night," I said quietly. "They were both drugged. They were both taken back to Ziva's old place and they were both… forced to do things with others that they had no decision in. Ziva doesn't know and Adam does. Adam didn't share with her because he is afraid of Ziva. Please, do not mention it to her until I tell her. She will take it better hearing it from me."

Tony nodded, with a painful expression on his face. "Who did it?"

"I do not know. Adam does not know, but he is still looking for whoever did it. The forensics is not the best in Tel Aviv. They do not have Abby," I said quietly.

We were quite for some time as I stared out the window. After a short while, I looked over again and noticed that Tony was looking at me with curiosity.

"Your past…?"

"Do not go there," I warned him. "I do not want to talk of it. I do not want to go through that now. You will learn, as Ziva will learn. But, I do not want to talk about it now."

"Okay," Tony said quietly, nodding.

The rest of the flight was silent and I could not sleep on the plane. We landed in Tel Aviv in the evening and I was not surprised to see Adam standing there sternly waiting for us as we got off the plane. I walked right up to him. He hugged me.

"A lot has changed since I last saw you in Israel, Aria," he said quietly.

"Yes, a lot has," I said quietly. "You remember Special Agent Tony DiNozzo?"

"Yes, how could I forget," Adam said quietly. "Orli is not happy."

"I do not imagine she is," I said with a slight wince.

"Do not be afraid, Aria. She has not yet pulled out the firing squad. It was intelligent of Gibbs to send an American with you, though, someone to protect you," Adam said. "I will also, if it comes to it. I believe she is just going to get the paperwork done as quickly as possible."

"That would be ideal," I said quietly. "There is also someone after me, if you should need to know."

"We know, we got a call from Gibbs," Adam said. "Which is another reason you got a call and another reason that I was to meet you both here. Vance booked the flight before Gibbs could tell him to hire a private plane."

"I know," I said quietly. "I must remember to thank Gibbs for helping to keep me safe. That is, if I ever live to return."

"Are you that afraid of Israel, your homeland?" he asked.

"I am that afraid of Tel Aviv and always have been. You know why," I said quietly as we started to walk toward Adam's car.

"Please, Tony, after you," Adam said indicating that he should get into the car first. "My priority is protecting both of you, so I am to be the last one outside of the car."

"It is not set up to explode, is it?" I asked.

"No," Adam confirmed with a chuckle. "I would not do that to you, Aria."

I nodded to him and he closed the door behind me. Tony, I could tell, was feeling a little protective of me, too. He was already viewing me as a younger sister that he never had and I could tell that this was going to go well, since we were working together and reading each other well already.

"You're not going to hurt her, Adam," Tony said quietly and I glanced back at Tony, knowing what he was seeing.

"I never had any intentions of doing so, Tony," Adam said laughing. "But, she does get a say in what she chooses to do from every angle in her life. I know this because she was the only one of Eli David's children to ever so obviously defy him."

"Obviously?"

"Well, there was Ari," I said to Tony. "You already know some of that. He defied Abba and joined Hamas for real. Then there was Tali, who quietly and politely said she would rather sing. Then there was Ziva. Her defiance was going to America in the first place to join NCIS as the Mossad Liaison Officer. It was quiet and not so obvious when it happened, though I knew what it was. I just ran, like a coward."

"You are not a coward," Adam said. "I have seen you in a fight."

"I would have lost against Abba," I said quietly. "But, that is not the point of the moment. What happens first?"

"We get you two checked into a hotel and then we go to Mossad. When your massive amount of paperwork is done then you are free to go wherever you wish within the country, just do not stray, it will not be safe."

"I will not wander at night when I cannot see my enemies," I said quietly.

The rest of the car ride was silent as we made our way to a motel near the Mossad headquarters and we checked in. There were two beds. I agreed to share with Adam, so that the boys did not have to share. I stayed at the edge of my bed and I knew that Tony was watching him, not really trusting him. Adam stayed on his own side of the bed, also nearly at the edge. That was good for now. I wondered if Adam realized Tony would be watching his every move or if Adam guessed how much I had told Tony.

Sometime in the middle of the night, I woke to the sound of shots being fired and I pulled a gun out from under my pillow and leaped between the beds, pulling Adam and Tony down with me. We crouched there.

"You too?" he asked quietly. I shrugged, not knowing what he meant by that. "You sleep with a gun under your pillow too?"

"Have to in this kind of place. Perhaps you should learn how," I mentioned to him.

"It is a trick that we learn when we are in training for Mossad," Adam said quietly. "It is actually a whole lesson on sleeping with your gun under your pillow and from that lesson on you are told to do so, because there will be drills to see if you can get the gun up fast enough when a door is opened. During training, we only keep unloaded weapons under our pillow, because they all make a mistake at least once."

I laughed remembering that aspect of the training. Tony looked at me as though I was nuts.

"He tells the truth and it is funny the number of accidents that could have been had," I said quietly.

Nothing further happened that night and we were not threatened or harmed, but we did not sleep either. I could not wait to get to the old farmhouse that I used to love when my mother was alive and with us still, before Mossad got the better of my father and he stopped coming home at night (and apparently there should be an "again" somewhere in that statement, from everything I learned from Ziva, Ari, Tali, and anyone else I came across in my life in Israel. The sun began to rise and we had to continue on with our day. Getting ready did not take long.

"Okay. Let's get this over with," Tony said as we climbed into the car so I could return where I had once run from.


End file.
